The Food Dude and Dudette crack open Coconut's.

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World Tour 2011 kicks off with a trip to the tropics.

THE DUDE’S TAKE

As The Dude and The Dudette prepared for our world tour, trotting the globe and bringing back the best grub we come across, a funny thing happened across the street from BT: a brand-new restaurant opened up. And wouldn’t you know it; it happened to be right along the flight plan.

Coconuts, open in the former home of Parkway Billiards (and Ric’s Place, and The Blind Pig and House of Tunes, to name a few) recently set out their shingle and are quietly building their way to their grand opening next weekend. According to the owner, Coconuts is going to be a bar and grill reminiscent of Margaritaville, but with more of a nightclub feel after dinner hours. The Dude is always psyched for a watering hole within walking distance of the old 9-to-5, and if there’s a chance for some nosh all the better.

As such, The Dude and The Dudette kicked off our world tour with a tropical stop at Coconuts, and we’re happy to say that the new kid in town has promise.

Head chef Chris Chin has been cooking since age 16, including a stint at Sticky Fingers on the south end of Hilton Head. Chin is a dude that knows his way around the kitchen, and as an ardent “Top Chef” fan, he knows what needs to get done in the back of the house.

As mentioned, Coconuts did just open (in fact, they say their grand opening isn’t even scheduled until next weekend), so what The Dude and The Dudette experienced was really more of a warm-up to the main event. In fact, there wasn’t even a printed menu yet; our choices were instead rattled off in Chin’s own energetic style. The concept is to keep the menu simple and bar-friendly, so what we were presented with was a burger, a chicken sandwich (grilled or fried), hand-battered fried shrimp, nachos and a few other pub-grub-style entrees.

Chin seemed pretty confident in his shrimp batter, so The Dude decided to take him up on it. As a mutual agreement that dieting is so overrated, The Dude and The Dudette decided to split some nachos.

While we waited for our nachos, The Dude took a moment to soak up the ambiance. The chairs still bear the stamp of Parkway Billiards, as they have through the last few incarnations of this spot. The new owner is trying to strike a balance between bar and grill and nightclub, and The Dude sincerely hopes they find the magic formula. The tiki-style tables out front are a nice touch, although these folks will need to bring in some natural light if they want to really effect a Margaritaville vibe.

Finally, the nachos. They weren’t bad per se, but The Dude considered this a stumble out of the gate. The presentation was nice, there were a ton of food (always a plus), but it basically boiled down to chips, ballpark-style nacho cheese and runny chili. The Dude would have loved to see some jalapenos or something with a little substance on there.

Next up came the shrimp. Chin brought out the food with the caveat that he had run out of eggs, so the batter might not stick as well as it should have. No worries, thought The Dude, no restaurant opens without its hiccups. What’s one egg more or less? Indeed, Chin’s shrimp batter still hit the spot despite the odd bit of flaking, and made The Dude want to come back when there are eggs.

The food was well priced for a lunch, with The Dude and The Dudette getting in and out at just under $22 before tip. If you’re going in expecting pub food you’re going to get a perfectly serviceable meal.

The Dude gives Coconuts an 85, but with the caveat that they are still in the process of opening. After they hit their stride, The Dude is excited to see what comes out of that kitchen.

THE DUDETTE’S TAKE

The Dudette likes food, as can be seen by anyone with 20/400 eyesight, so at the moment dieting is not on the plate and often is a challenge when eating out anyway.

There is nothing wrong with an eatery of any kind within walking distance of the salt mine – as wonderful as it often is – so this was promising. The Dudette had to lean on The Dude’s considerable knowledge of local history, especially in the immediately adjacent block, so was well-prepared for the interior of Coconuts.

The large dance floor bodes well for weekend night dinner-band-party-and-pool-table action. One can imagine anything from a smooth four- or five-piece jazz set to a beach sound band on the corner stage, in keeping with the owner’s desires to smooth the edges of previous incarnations.

There are two rather large bars – one elevated near the entrance and the other on the far wall, promising offers of adult libations. Should the owners place a few classy folding screens around this area, it could actually give the impression of a dining room. The screens could be then opened for the nightclub acts.

Several normal-height tables and a few tall tables with chair-back bar stools are within hailing distance of the front bar. Behind them towards the back are a few pool tables which we understand will be free for patrons to use.

But so much for the ambience. Let’s eat!

The Dudette shared the nachos which were plentiful and good but not particularly special. She ordered the cheeseburger medium well and enjoyed it. Charcoal grilled with a generous slice of tomato, onions and lettuce. The patty was hand-made, not some frozen disk shaved off a hockey puck.

There were plenty of fries and when The Dudette asked Chin, he confirmed her taste buds did indeed know they were seasoned with Old Bay. They were a pleasant surprise. Because The Dudette had over-indulged in the mountain of nachos, the main course was not fully devoured and there was promise of dessert, but there was no way to make room for any.

Half of the burger went back to the office, but never made it home because The Dudette got hungry again mid-writing and finished it off.

Yes, there is work to be done and the owners have a hard sell for the location but this is a local bunch of hard workers and The Dudette thinks the food is worth a stop, especially for the quality and the price, and the concept has plenty of potential. Come warmer days, The Dudette sees the potential of a stroll across the street for a few fries, or a salad or some cooling lemonade. Overall a 90.